‘Supply of oxygen, Remdesivir to be streamlined from today’

LUCKNOW : The state government is likely to take stricter measures to check the violation of Covid protocol. The supply of lifesaving oxygen and Remdesivir injections will be also streamlined from Monday, said state health and family welfare minister Jai Pratap Singh.

Singh said he was regularly monitoring the health facilities in all the hospitals across the state daily. The Covid situation in the state and measures being taken to check the spread of the infection was also reviewed in the virtual meeting with chief minister Yogi Adityanath, he added.

“The state government has implemented various restrictions including 35-hour Corona Curfew across state, night curfew in the districts reporting more than 500 active Covid cases, slapping of penalty for not covering face with mask and other restrictions. Still violation of the Covid protocol is being reported from various districts. In the meeting with CM on Monday, discussion will be held on implementing stricter measures to check violations,” the minister said.

The issue of the oxygen and Remdesivir injection crisis was raised in the meeting with union health minister Harsh Vardhan. “The Uttar Pradesh government has urged the Centre to increase the supply of oxygen and Remdesivir. The sudden surge in the Covid cases has led to the escalation in the demands of oxygen, beds and Remdesivir injections,” Singh said.

“We hope from Monday the hospitals in Uttar Pradesh will get adequate oxygen and Remdesivir supply. The state government has placed order for 2 lakh Remdesivir injections vials with the manufacturing companies,” he added.

“After the decline in the Covid cases in December, the companies had started exporting the injection. Now the export has been stopped and the companies will start sending the injections on the rates fixed by the Centre from Monday. Soon, the hospitals in the state will have adequate Remdesivir injections required for the treatment of Covid patients,” the minister said.

The supply of oxygen will also increase. The union health minister said the demand of oxygen was coming from across the country and so the Centre had decided to import oxygen and increase its production in local industries. “The UP government has already directed the companies to supply oxygen to the hospitals. The companies producing industrial oxygen have also been directed to supply medical oxygen to hospitals. Currently, we need 150 metric tonnes (MT) oxygen and 225 MT more will be required by April 30,” he said.